Fuel.



rnouas PARKER, or Lennon; ENGLAND.

FUEL.

opeciflcation of Letters Patent.

rsiestsass t. raiser,

Iipplication filed January 26,1997. Serial lio- 364,319.

To all whom it may cmicem;

Be it knovn that I, THOMAS PARKER, I. (3. i l, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing. at ll) hapel street, Edgware Road, Londomllh, Eiigland, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in and Relating to Fuel, of which the fol lowing is a specificationf'u This invention relates to processes of preparing fuel and consists in a method of partially distilling away volatile bodies from coal by heating to a comparatively low temperature and arresting the distillation at a point where g'ases lnirning'with luminous flame cease to he evolved but Where the coal still contains volatile matter, all as more fully hereinafter set iorth and as claimed.

I am aware that it has hcforo been proposed to pro-- duce a process of partial destructive distillation fuel rese/rn bling coke and to secure thereby a considerable yield of tar, as well as an illuminating of high candle Ponce, but it has not heretofore been practicable to produce in a simple process of destructive distillation vwithout some preliminary or after treatment ail-arming fuel of substantially constant and uniform character which while being capable of practically smokeless combustion with the production of a. high temperature in an ordinary fire grate and heing'rcadily ignitible is still of sufficient hardness to stand handling", stacking and carriage. I

After very careful research I have determined the conditions under which such afuel o'f substantially constant and uniform character can he produced in the use/of bituminous cool of differentquaiity. I have found on the one hand that if the temperature of distillation he excessive the produc hard and varies very much in charactei: and quality owing to the difliculty of arresting the 'process at the particular point short of complete carborlization, beyond which it is difficult to i-etaip in the fuel treated suflicient liydrogen to insure a flaming combustion with high temperature, while on the other hand if the temperature of distillation be too low the product is soft and the duration of the process is considerable and not easy to determine rendering it very dil'licult to produce in a practical and commercial way a i'uel of uniform character and homogeneity that is sufficiently hard to withstand handling, stacking, and 'arriago or that will not require iurther treatmen to reinlor'it lit for commercial use.

Now accm'ding to the invention I effect the destructive distillation of coal within a closed retort, and I maintain the temperature within the retort at about 800 h. during the process of distillation, arresting the heating of the material at the point where the evolved gases cease to burn with a brilliant flame like that of illuminating gas and when the coal itself becomes hard, and free from tarry matter while still capable of burning with flame.

fuel produced has still a relatively high content of by' the carbon produced from the hydrocarbons tends to the luei pifotlilcd-is not suiiicientlyancl uniformly may provide a number of such cylinders within each I have found-that when the process of distillation is conducted at about 800 F. ass-indicated within the tort, and the process arrested at the point described the ill drogen, and has sufiicient hardness to withstand hanv .dling, stacking and carriage.

On heating coal at the described low temperature the soft bituminous constituents are carbonized, produc ing tar and gas and the tarry bodies are again decom posed with the production of rich illuminating gas. As long as any tarry bodies remain, gas burning with a luminous flame is produced. and the coal itself ismore or less plastic, both hot andcold. But as the tarry bodies decompose they produce a hard tough carbon "(it or hydrocarbon which. cementsthe mass into-a hard tough body as distinguished from the hard brittle liody, or coke, formed by pushing the. carbonization further and at higher temperature. At high temperatures be of very hard or graphitoidal consistency. The fuel produced in the described manneris hard enough to stand carriage and handling but is somewhat porous and for th is reason and also because it still retains flame producing hydrogenous bodies it is easy to ignite. In burning it burns with a distinct flame of nonsmoking characteristics with production of a very high temperatu re. l have obtained very good results in the use of a B- shaped metal retort 16' inches high 5 ieei: wido and 7 feet long and by charging the fuel into the remit to a height not exceeding 6 inches to insure e'ven and uni form heating. I have however found that in cases of very bituminous coals that the crystalline structure'oi close and dense so that the fuel easily breaks into small pieces and easily crumbles into dust but I findthat this may be obviated by effecting the'distillation under: pressure t hat is to say it may be effected within' closed: receptacles into which the: coal is introduced and packed tightly so'that the distillation may be effected under the pressure consequent upon the expansion of the coal. in the cylinders, which. precludes the formation of a Week sponge like and irregular crystalline structure of the fuel.= When utilizing such receptacles I prefer to provide sheet irdn cylinders slightly tapered and of a diameter of from to l2inchcs with an outlet at one end formed as a series of perforations through: which the gases may find egress into the retort and I retort. It will however be understood that the distillation may be effected under pressure in the useof vertical retorts or furnaces in which the burden will insure sufficient pressure on the mass during the process of distillation to prevent the formation of a Weak spongy and irregular crystalline structure oi the fuel. When effecting the distillation. in such vertical retorts or fur- 1 4' naces I provide that. one "of the cross sectional dimensions oi the retort shall not be less than ti inelies and that preferably the retortshallhe so set as to be heated all round. 'r

fr find that the fuel produced from al 'classes of coal 7 is improved in quality when the distillation is effected under pressure or in such closed cylindcrs'or' within vertical retort's or furnaces as aforesakh I lead away the gascs evolved and pass them through 1".) apondenser, scrubber and purifier and otherwise deal therewith substantially in the same manner as is usual in the ordinary method ot' mamttacture of coal gas.

Distillation in the manner described results in the yield of' a gas of great illuminating power as it is not I lfililuted by the gas which would result ll'ollt pushing l q the heating to the true coking stage. fAll the tar, am-

mnuia and other valuable by-products' which are yielded in the ordinary gas making operation are also yielded in substantially the same amount in this.

Towards the end of the process] admit steam into the retort to insure the tinal temperature being slightly lowered thereby assisting in arresting the carbonization and to cleanse the fuel from sullur, and I draw the fuel from the retort immediately on illuminating gas ceasing to be evolved.

I quench the t'uclcither beiore or after being dra vn from the retort, but' l prefer first to draw the fuel into a receptacle where it is no longer subjected to heat, and after its closure 1 then quench the fuel by admission of steam so that thus the fuel may not re-ignite.

A hard t'tiel results capable of use withoutany l'urther treatment and which in burning in an open grate develops more heat than ordinary coal, lasts lon'ger in btirning and is moreover practically sm keless in corn bustion.

- Letters Patent is. I 1. The herein described process for the production of t fuel from coal which consists in subjectln; the coal in a closed retort to a comparatively lou g'as evolvin; temperat ture riiaintalning it at this temperature while illuminating gas continues to he evolved and cooling when illuminating i 51:15 ceases to be evolved and when theniass is substair i tially free of tarry components so that the product shall 1 be hard. of uniform character, homogeneous and capable of withstanding stacking: handling and carriage without lur t ther treatment,

i 1!. The herein described process for the production of fuel from coal which consists in subjecting the coal in a i closed retort to a temperature of about 800 i maintaining; it at about this temperature while illuminating; gas continues to be evolved, and then cooling and removing the 2 fuel from the retort.

1 ii. The herein described process for the production of 5 fuel from coal which consists in subjecting it in a closed retort under moderate pressure to a temperature oi about \UUG F. maintaining it at this temperature while illuminatlug gas continues to be evolved and cooling and withdrawi ing the fuel when illuminating gas ceases to be evolved. t

4. The herein described process for the production of fuel from coal which consists in subjecting the coal in a cl.:sc.l retort to a temperature of about 800 1" maintainin: it at about this temperature while illuminating gas continues to be evolved and then suddenly arresting; the heat by introduction of sic-am and removing the fuel from the rct'ort'.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my nann- \\'i moan Emuno EVANS,

\ Witnesses What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by to this specification in the presence of two subscribiu: wit-- 

